◦Dominant Social Democratic parties

◦Centralized states◦Corporatist interest groups◦Universal, generous, service-intensive welfare states that promote equality

◦Weak, non-existent working class parties

◦Pluralist interest groups◦Relatively small state sectors◦Welfare programs◦fewer programs, cover fewer people, offer less generous benefits

◦Religious and class divisions (competitive Social/Christian Democratic parties)

◦Corporatist interest groups◦High welfare spending along occupational lines, which mitigates but reinforces inequalities

◦Long history of Social Democratic Party (SAP) success; high union membership

◦Working class positioned to promote interests

◦First in “Lower-class power” among advanced capitalist democracies

◦Reformist agenda◦Not socialize production, socialize

distribution◦Form broad coalitions

Democratic Socialist Party (SAP) success generous, universal, service-oriented

welfare state displaces market principles (health and child care) and replaces market incomes (pensions, sick pay, unemployment)

Capitalist systemFull employmentCentralized wage bargainingWage solidarity

Consensual democracy◦ Power sharing (coalition) governments◦ Inclusive policy-making process◦ Proportional representation (PR) electoral system

Parliamentary democracy ◦ Unicameral legislature

◦ Riksdag (post-1971): 349 members; low voter-member ratio (1/25,000); multimember districts

◦ Head of state (ceremonial), King; head of government (real power), PM and cabinet

◦ Executive branch dominant in policy◦ Unitary system

◦ Weakest lower-class in all advanced capitalist democracies

◦ 1930s New Deal coalition◦ Rise of Republicans

◦ South defects over civil rights◦ Business community rolls-back government regulations◦ Christian right organizes on moral issues◦ Conservative white males threatened by dismantling of

racial and gender hierarchies

◦ Democratic base=black, low-income, female, liberal, unmarried voters

◦ Republican base=white male, conservative, Southern, high-income voters

Class matters little in how people vote and a lot in who votes

Gap in participation and power reflected in policy◦ Extreme market capitalism

Businesses enjoy more autonomy◦ Small public sector; markets rule

Results of extreme market capitalism mixed◦ Competitive, prosperous economy◦ High levels of income/wealth inequality and

poverty

Fragmented - Federalism, separation of powers (checks and balances)

President Congress

House – 435 members, district elections, two-year terms; white, male, wealthy; high incumbency rates (>90%)

Senate – 100 members, returned by states, six-year terms; wealthier, even less diverse, representative; more competitive elections (around 75%)

Courts Policymaking process = Veto-points (places where

policy can fail) Maintain status quo, obstacles in way of disadvantaged

who depend on public policies to offset lack of market power

◦ Unification (1870s); rapid industrialization◦ Defeat in WWI, Weimar Republic, first

democracy◦ Occupation produced German Democratic

Republic (East Germany, Soviet-controlled) and Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) GDR: one-party state dictatorship Reunification in 1990 (with end of Cold War)

◦ West Germany Post-WWII politics marked by class and religious cleavages Christian Democratic Union (CDU) (broad support) Social Democratic Party (SPD) (industrial workers) Ongoing competition for governance between these

parties in coalition with others

Post-WWII revival under CDU remarkable State intent on letting markets rule, only “as

much state intervention as necessary” Social market economy

◦ Markets allocate resources; state makes sure it does so in socially responsible way

◦ German Model faltered in 1980s Growth, jobs declined Consensus, patience, coordination, incremental change

regarded as source of poor performance Labor market increasingly divided between insiders and

outsiders

Federal Significant authority to EU Federal Constitutional Court Powerful, encompassing interest groups Bicameralism President (ceremonial), selects party leader

to form government Head of government is chancellor (majority

in lower house) Stable political and party system,

consensual decision-making, incremental policy changes